Corn-harvester.



No. 683,473. Pittman 00f. I, will. J. s. KURTZ.

CORN HARVESTEB.

(Application filed May 24, 1898.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR WITNESSES No. 683,473; I Patented 001.1, mm.

J. s. KURTZ. CORN HABVES'TEB.

(Application filed May 24, 1898.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

1N VEN T OR Attorney IV/TNESSES 5. j,

No. 683,473. 1 Patented Oct. I, 19m.

- .1. s. KURTZ.

CORN HARVESTER.

S (Application filed May 24 1898.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

' WITNESSES INVENTOR 7. v v

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. KURTZ, OF MARTINDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,473, dated October1, 1901,

(No model.)

To aZZ wit/0711, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN S. KURTZ, a resident of Martindale, in thecounty of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Corn-Harvesters and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in corn-harvesters, the object'ofthe invention being to provide a machine that will cut, gather, bind,and drop the stalks in shocks automatically.

A further object is to provide a machine that will gather the stalks inan uprightposition, pack same in a holder, bind same when so packed, andautomatically drop the bound shock and simultaneously cut off the supplyof stalks to the bundle-holder.

A further object is to provide a bundleholder for a corn-harvester whichshall be composed of two movable wings or platforms and with two gateswhich will operate automatically and simultaneously with the incliningof the platforms.

A further object is to provide a corn-harvester that will be simple inconstruction, comparatively cheap to manufacture, neat in appearance,light and durable, and which will be most effectual when in operation.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, aswill be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a sideview. Fig. 3 is a front view partly in section and with the operatingmechanism removed, and Fig. t is a detail view. Figs. 5 and 6 are detailviews taken from opposite sides of the disk 16 and cooperating parts.

A represents abase or platform, which is composed of three parallellongitudinal timbers 1 2 3 and two horizontal timbers 4 5. A shaft 6 isjournaled at one end in timber 1 and at its other end in timber 2. Theshaft 6 has secured thereon a main wheel 7, to which is secured abevel-gear 8, adapted to mesh with a cog-wheel 9, journaled in an arm10, extending from the timber 2. A pitman 11 is attached to a crankpinon one side of said wheel 9 and adapted to operate the cutting mechanism12, which latter is constructed in any approved way.

A bevel-gear 13 of smaller size than the gear 8 is secured to the latterand adapted to mesh with a cog-wheel 14, journaled in a.

bracket secured to timber 2. The shaft lie, on whichcogwheel 14 issecured, projects downwardly and at its lower end is provided with apulley 14, adapted to receive a belt 15, which will be more fullyhereinafterdescribed.

A mutilated gear or cam disk 16 is mounted loosely on the shaft 6 andprovided with a clutch-section 16 to be engaged by another clutchsection 16, mounted to rotate with but slide on the shaft 6.

The sleeve 16 is provided with an annular groove 18, adapted to receivepins 19 on alever 20, whereby to move the sleeve on the shaft to engageor disengage the clutch-sections.

Two uprights 22 23 are spaced apart and secured to the timber 4, at ornear one end thereof, and are provided with forwardly and downwardlyextending guide-arms 24 25, adapted to direct the cornstalks into themachine. The end of guide 24 is bent upon itself and then bent downward,so as to form an upright a, the lower end of which is secured to theforward end of timber 3. The end of guide 25 is bent upon itself,extended rearwardly, and secured to an upright 26 on timber 5.

A gathering-chain l is provided on the guide-arm 24: and is adapted toturn on an idle sprocket-wheel m at the forward end of the guard-arm andaround another sprocketwheel 11., secured on a shaft 0, journaled at oneend in the guide 24 and provided at its other end with a bevel-gear 1),adapted to mesh with a bevel-gear r on the end of shaft 31 and be turnedthereby. The object of this chain is to raise fallen stalks.

Uprights 27, 28, 29, and 30 are secured at their lower ends to the frameand are preferably secured together with upright 26 at their upper endby any approved means.

A revoluble shaft 31 is journalcd at one end of timber 4 and is adaptedto extend below said timber, where it is provided with a pulley 31.Another upright 32 is journaled in timber 1 and has secured to its endbelow said timber a pulley 31 The belt is adapted to pass around thepulley 31, thence around pulley 31 thence around an idle pulley 33, andthence back to pulley 14.

Two sprocket-wheels 33 33 are secured to shaft 31. A sprocket-wheel 34is revolubly mounted on the upright a and is adapted to receive anendless sprocket-chain 35, which also passes about the sprocketwheel 33.Sprocket-wheels 36 and 37 are revolubly connected with uprights 27 and28, respectively, and are adapted to receive a sprocket-chain 38.Sprocket-wheels 39 and 40 are provided on shaft 32 and upright 29,respectively, and areconnected by a'sprocket-chain 41.

Gates 42 43 are hinged to uprights 28 and 29, and each is provided withsprocket-wheels 4445. The sprooket wheel 44 is connected withsprocket-wheel 37 by a chain 48, and sprocket-wheel 45 is connected withsprocketwheel 40 by a chain 49. Sprocket-wheels 50, 51, and 52 areprovided on shaft 31 and uprights 27 and 28, respectively, which areconnected by a sprocket chain 53. Similar sprocket-wheels are arrangedon gate 43 to those on gate 42 and on uprights 29 and 32 as those onuprights 28 and 29 and are connected together by similar sprocket-chainsto those described for gate 42.

I prefer to employ as a sprocket-chain the form shown in Fig. 4, inwhich each link is shown as bent between its ends to form an eye b toreceive a pin 1), which pivotally connects the other link also at itsends. The sprocket-chains constitute feeders for the stalks to thebundle-holder and are provided with fingers b. In forming these. fingersa piece of spring-wire is bent between its ends to form the finger andthen bent around one of the pivot-pins of the chain and then againextended to the next pivot-pin and secured thereto. These wire fingersare arranged at intervals along the chain whereby to facilitate themovement of the stalks.

A sprocket-chain 80 is provided in the upper portion of the frame andpasses about sprocket-wheels 81 and 82 on uprights 28 and 29, to whichmotion is transmitted by a chain from a sprocket-wheel on shaft 32.

A platform B, composed of two wings or sections B and B is provided withmetal braces or supports 59 60, which are adapted to be received in eyes61 62, secured to the rear end of timber 2. The forward ends of thesupports 59 pass through holes in the timber 5 and are provided at theforward ends with arms 63 64, which are connected with arms 67 68 bymeans of rods 65 66, and said arms 67 68 are connected with and operatedbya crank-arm 68 on shaft 69, the latter being connected at one end withan arm 70, adapted to be operated by a crank arm 70 on a shaft 70 e p Amutilated gear '71, having teeth at diaat approximately metricallyopposite points, is secured to the shaft 70 and provided with anenlargement 71,adapted to be actuated by the cam-periphery 70 of thewheel 16, whereby to turn the mutilated gear and insure the engagementtherewith of the teeth of another mutilated gear 71, the teeth of whichlatter are disposed diametrically opposite points. The mutilated gear 71is mounted to rotate with the wheel 16. Hence it will be seen thatnormally the wheel 71 is at rest and is only periodically turned. Thecam-disk 16 is adapted to transmit motion to a bevel-pinion 0 on one endof a shaft (1. The shaft cl is mounted in a bracket e, secured to timber5, and its other end is provided with a bevelpinion f, adapted tooperate any approved binding mechanism.

Aspreader C, composed,preferably,of stout wire, is made in twosectionsrry, and one end of each section is bent around and journaled inan eye in a standard or upright 60 on timber 2. The forward ends of saidsections :1; y are bent and adapted to pass through an eye in an uprightor standard 72 in said timber 2. The forward ends of said sections arebent to form'crank-arms 72 which are pivotally connected with the endsof arms 66 67 and 68 65, whereby when the movable platform is tilted thespreader wings or sections a: 3 will be folded to allow the bound shockto drop out freely from the bundle-holder.

The gates 42 43, mounted on the uprights 28 29, are provided withcrank-arms 9, connected, by means of pitmen g, with crankarms 9 at therespective ends of the shaft 69,

whereby when the platform is dropped and the spreader folded the gateswill be thrown open to eject the bound shock. A rod 75 is attached toone of the arms 9 and bent to form a slot to move on upright 27, so thatwhen the gates are opened said rod 75 will serve to close the passageand cut off the ingress of stalks to the bundle-holder.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The arms or guides 24 25receive the stalks between them and guide same to the cutting mechanism12. After having been cut, the stalks are conveyed by the feed-chains tothe platform around the spreader until the platform is full, when theoperator throws the lever 20, which forces the clutch-sections 16 and 16together. Motion will then be transmitted to the wheel 16, and its firstoffice will be to turn the gear 0 and operate the binding mechanism,(not shown,) this operation having just been completed when the pinion oand the teeth on the face of the wheel 16 are in the relative positionsshown in Figs. 1 and 6. The cam-periphery of wheel 16 will thencooperate with the enlargement 71 on the mutilated gear 71 to throw thelatter in position to mesh with the teeth of wheel 16. Motion thusimparted to the gear 71 will be transmitted through shaft 7 0 andcrank-arm 70, arm 70, shaft 69, and arms 67 68 and 65 66 to theplatform, whereby to cause the bound shock to be discharged, and througharms 72 to the spreader and simultaneously transmit motion from arms 70,through pitmen g, to the gates 42 and 43 to open same to permit the exitof the bound shock. When the gates open, the rod 75, connected to one ofthe arms g, will be forced forward and effectually close the passage andshut off the supply of stalks to the platform. When the bound shocksshall have been dropped, the wheel 16 will again strike the enlargement71 and through the same mechanism, as before described, transmit motionto raise the sections of platform, spread the spreader, close the gates,and open the passage to permit the inflow of stalks. When the device isin its position to receive stalks after a shock has been dropped, a camor projection h on the wheel 16 will strike a' dog it on the lever 20and throw the lever 20 away from the wheel, and thus separate theclutch-sections, when the machine is again ready to repeat the operationabove described to cut the stalks and feed them to the platform, andthen after the dog h has been moved out of the path of cam or projectionh by means of a foot-lever 71 and the spring 7? has forced theclutch-sections together to cause the operation of the binding anddischarging devices, as has been explained.

Various slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangementof the several parts described without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I donot wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth, but considermyself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairlyfall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

' Having fully described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a corn -harvester, the combination with a frame, of anormally-stationary platform comprising two hinged members, cuttingmechanism, gates at one end of the platform, a series of feeding-chainspartially embracing the platform and adapted to convey the stalks fromthe cutter and assemble them upon the platform, a spreader comprisingtwo hinged members disposed over the platform, a driving-shaft,operatingmeans between said shaft and .the hinged members of the platf0rm,thehinged members of the spreader and the gates for actuating themsimultaneously to effect the discharge of a shock and gearing betweensaid driving-shaft and the cutting mechanism and feeding-chains.

2. In a corn harvester, the combination with a frame, of guides on saidframe to re ceive the stalks, a stalk-holder, a platform made in twomovable sections, gates on the frame, a spreader in the holder havingtwo movable sections, and chains in said frame partially surrounding theframe and adapted to pack the stalks on said platform around thespreader, an arm on one of said gates adapted when the gates are openedto shut off the supply of stalks to the holder and means for operatingsaid parts.

3. In a corn-harvester, the combination with a frame, of a main shaft, amain wheel on said shaft, a loose mutilated gear on-the shaft providedwith a clutch-section, a movable clutch-section on said shaft adapted tomesh with the first-mentioned cl utch-section, a lever for operating theclutch secured on the shaft and a projection on the wheel adapted toengage the lever and throw the clutches apart, substantially as setforth.

4. In a corn harvester, the combination with a shock or bundle holder,of a cutter and feed-chains disposed at both sides and one end of saidshock or bundle holder and adap ted to pack the stalks within saidholder, substantially as set'forth.

5. In a corn -harvester, the combination with a shock or bundle holder,and cutting mechanism, of a series of feed-chains constructed andarranged to feed stalks to the cutting mechanism and then pack the samein the holder, some of said feed-chains being disposed at the sides andend of said holder, substantially as set forth.

6. In a corn harvester, the combination with a shock or bundle holder,discharging means therefor, a spreader in said holder andbinder-gearing, of a main shaft, amutilated gear thereon having acam-periphery,a clutch for locking said mutilated gear to the shaft,said mutilated gear adapted to transmit motion to the binder-gearing, asecondary mutilated gear adapted to rotate with the firstmentionedmutilated gear a crank-shaft,connections between said crank-shaft andthe spreader and the discharging means of the shock or bundle holder, amutilated gear on the crank-shaft to receive motion from said secondarymutilated gear, and a cam or enlargement mounted to rotate with themutilated gear on the crank-shaft and adapted to be actuated by thecam-periphery of the firstmentioned mutilated gear, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOHN S. KURTZ.

\Vitnesses:

M. S. MOCAA, D. J. MCCAA.

